Alright, I started my entry into this month's contest by putting together my details as little hand-drawn things. The "calligraphy" (still working on competency in that arena) is all mine as well. I've got an idea about what I'm going to do with the map of the tomb itself, but I'm having some trouble with the execution.

I might resize and rearrange things as I go ahead, as I still plan to add a scrying vessel (a large bowl with enchantments, fill with water, cast spell, boom window out into the world and all that) to the "artefacts" that are shown in more detail.

And I just realized I neglected to add the finishing touches to the parchment itself. I'm so good at this mapping thing.

ravells

06-18-2009, 02:13 PM

Looking great so far, Alecthar! Good luck in the comp! I really like the idea behind this one and hope we have a big take up.

Alecthar

06-18-2009, 02:29 PM

Thanks, Ravs, I'm hoping to carry the hand-drawn look throughout the map, though I'm struggling a bit on how to execute that with the map itself. I'll get it, I'm sure.

Fixed the parchment.

Alecthar

06-19-2009, 08:25 AM

Okay, a few changes. I fiddled a bit with size and alignment for various objects, changed around a few things. This is almost certainly going to be my complete set of objects in detail.

With that said, I think they're all too large. It didn't quite hit me till I finished putting this WIP together, but in the next version, they'll be smaller, to allow more space for the map, as well as open up possibilities for more interesting placement around the map. I feel like, right now, they'd easily overwhelm the map by sheer size alone.

But I'm pretty damn proud of my crystal ball.

msa

06-19-2009, 09:21 AM

With that said, I think they're all too large. It didn't quite hit me till I finished putting this WIP together, but in the next version, they'll be smaller, to allow more space for the map, as well as open up possibilities for more interesting placement around the map. I feel like, right now, they'd easily overwhelm the map by sheer size alone.

I was going to comment on this but then I saw you already said it! I agree. But I would go the route of making the map larger. As I do more and more maps, I keep making them bigger and bigger. I feel like it has a significant advantage in terms of the level of control you get. You can vary the thickness of your lines more, its easier to draw, and you can add very fine detail.

I do think those icons are very well done and they will be a real asset to your final version.

Alecthar

06-19-2009, 03:11 PM

The problem for me is that I'm currently working on a 3 year old laptop without an actual video card (integrated ftl), so the larger the image, the more unwieldy and difficult it is to work on. I'm thinking I can maybe get away with nearly doubling the size. I'm probably going to do that, actually, because the tiny little altars and statues I'm going to attempt will only get lost in a small map.

Alecthar

06-20-2009, 07:33 PM

Alright, I sat down and did some work on this one. I decided on a bigger canvas, as msa suggested, and it does seem to have worked some minor wonders.

The basic outline of the map is pretty much what I have in mind, though the finished product will not, I assure you, be as bare. Similarly, the names are placeholders, just to give you an idea of my intent. The object placement is alright, I think, though, like a great deal else, the lines are placeholders till I decide the right interaction between wall, name, and pointing line. I intend to use the empty space in the bottom right to do a bit more justice to the major finds from each area of the tomb, and some mad, illiterate scrawling in the margins will make the map jive nicely with the background I worked up, explained somewhat in the "letter" that's also attached here.

The map is scaled down to fit the size limit.

### LATEST WIP ###

philipstephen

06-20-2009, 11:43 PM

With your latest post, this is starting to look awesome.

I can't wait to see some more details develop on the map.

Phil

msa

06-21-2009, 07:57 AM

Very nice. I'm not sure if this is your plan, but you might should hand-draw the map. I think the straight lines really clash against your icons right now (which look great in the new version, btw).

Alecthar

06-21-2009, 12:07 PM

Very nice. I'm not sure if this is your plan, but you might should hand-draw the map. I think the straight lines really clash against your icons right now (which look great in the new version, btw).

My plan is to hand-draw the map, using the blueprint there as a kind of guide, given that I'd probably have trouble drawing a reasonably straight line without such a guide. :)

Alecthar

06-21-2009, 02:49 PM

Alright, I did a rough go at the hand-drawn map, and I think it gives a good idea of my intent going forward, and looks pretty okay. The shading is giving me trouble, can you tell I've paired my dearth of artistic talent with my utter lack of formal training?

I'm going with the hand-written labels (to match the rest of the map) as well as some hand drawn sarcophagi in the Chamber of the Three Sons, an altar in the Ritual Room, etc. etc. If I can work some DevinNight-style magic I'll have a top-down statue or two to line the halls with. I think I'll probably make all that separately from the map, scan them in, and then scale them down to size. Hopefully that will work *crosses fingers*.

Also adjusting the back story slightly. I felt like I made a big deal out of the fact that Cornelius was going mad, and then sort of just went, "but anyway, that doesn't have any bearing on things." I'll edit this post with a revised version of the "letter."

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JakeWoods

06-21-2009, 05:28 PM

THis map is coming along very nicely

Alecthar

06-21-2009, 06:08 PM

Jakewoods, I'm glad you're here, because I'm throwing down the gauntlet, figuratively speaking of course. I experimented a bit today, making some top-down statues, and my first attempt didn't come out half bad.

Unfortunately, it didn't scale down super well. And you know what that means:

We're drawing to scale, folks. 8)

I PosteRazored the basic blueprint lines I did earlier. Here's my first attempt:

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I discovered 2 things: First, that I needed to align better, I was wasting paper, and Second, I have borderless printing. To the printer properties!

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Tomorrow I deplete my local craft store's supplies of good pencils, quality erasers, and felt-tip markers and pens, and we are gonna start ourselves a dungeon map!

Seriously, though, this is gonna be awesome.

PS: I love your map, Jake, I wish I'd thought of the book thing first.

Im always up for a challenge. Does this mean that Ill have to do some more maps of the barracks and the ruined fort area... If I get the time I will...

Alecthar

06-21-2009, 06:40 PM

Im always up for a challenge. Does this mean that Ill have to do some more maps of the barracks and the ruined fort area... If I get the time I will...

No, I'm pretty sure the intent in my challenge was that you rest on your laurels and allow me to attempt to catch up with your expertise and excellent idea.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was it.

ravells

06-21-2009, 07:03 PM

Oh grudge match! This should be interesting! ;)

Syt

06-22-2009, 10:52 AM

Alecthar, I'm following the creation of the map closely. I like your design and "treasure finds" which are elegant and understated so far, something that I enjoy a lot. Very much looking forward to the completed work. Best of luck! :)

Alecthar

06-22-2009, 04:25 PM

Alright, I've finished my first three sheets of scale drawing, and they're really coming out well, I think. I'm fairly sure I'm going to have some trouble going forward with stitching them all together, but I'll figure it out.

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Edit: And now 5/7 sheets drawn and stitched:

Probably gonna have to move things around a bit, but otherwise this is looking pretty good, if I do say so myself.

And I do.

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Edit Two, Electric Boogaloo: The moment we've all been waiting for (well, me at least :P)...

BAM!

Finished with drawing the basic map. It was a lot of work, and I had to do several tests and a few pretty messed up trial sheets before I got a look I was satisfied with. The map outline is done with felt-tip marker, to give a nice true black. The lines could have been cleaner, but if I'd wanted clean lines I'd have stuck with the GIMP generated outline. The shading is all charcoal, brushed with tissue to give a semblance of a cast shadow. I didn't really want it to do much other than give the map some texture, so if you critique my shading, know that my response will probably be something along the lines of "looks good to me." The cracks in the floor are a very fine-tipped felt-tip pen. I scanned them in, did some minor GIMP-work to even out some shading, connect rooms where there was a short distance of outline missing, etc. etc.

Of course, now that I've finished this I realize how much more I still have to do:

Debris (stones from small ceiling collapses, scattered scrolls, etc.)
Columns and Statues and three Sarcophagi
Room Labels
Some nice arrows from objects going to the rooms they were found in
Margin notes and whatnot, detailing more finds and various points of interest not featured in drawings
Some maddened scrawling in the margins as well (to match the background story)

Ah, well, the road goes ever onward...

Edit 3, Edit with a Vengeance:

Just moved the map a bit so that the composition of the objects and map looks a bit better. Just gonna replace the third WIP pic with this one.

### LATEST WIP ###

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JakeWoods

06-24-2009, 01:36 AM

Alecthar

I have posted an arial view map of my comp map in the completed maps section titled Fort Grenstien so I dont confuse any of the grudge match maps with the comp map...